NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The boards of four nonprofit organizations recently received the Prudential Leadership Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Boards from The Prudential Foundation and BoardSource.
The Prudential Leadership Award for Outstanding Nonprofit Boards Program is a program developed and hosted by BoardSource and supported by Prudential. The awards program is part of the Strength for Capacity initiative, which The Prudential Foundation launched to help nonprofits achieve long-term sustainability. The awards program recognizes the critical role boards play in overseeing their organizations’ mission, finances and strategic direction. The awards also recognize nonprofits that have demonstrated the ability to govern with future outcomes in mind and honor the innovative and transformative work nonprofit boards are doing to position their organizations for future success.
The $40,000 top award went to the American Camp Association in Martinsville, Ind. “This honor is a direct reflection of the hard work of ACA’s board and leadership over the past four years,” said Peg Smith, American Camp Association’s chief executive officer. “Our board is committed to using the award to continue to build capacity in order to fulfill our 2020 Vision and serve more children and families.” The American Camp Association is a community of camp professionals who share knowledge and experience to ensure the quality of camp programs.
Three other organizations each won $10,000 honorable mention awards. They are:
- The Champlain Housing Trust in Burlington, Vt., which provides affordable housing opportunities for low- to moderate-income households. “We are facing a challenge of serving more and more people at a time when public resources have been fading away. This grant will help us build expertise on our board to complement our staff’s fundraising, program development and strategic planning capacity,” said Paul Bohne, president of Champlain Housing Trust.
- Helen Keller International, in New York City, which is devoted to preventing blindness - and reducing malnutrition,” said Kathy Spahn, president and CEO of Helen Keller International. “The support from Prudential will enable us to continue to provide sight and lifesaving programs to the most vulnerable people, particularly women and children, around the globe.”
- MATHCOUNTS, in Alexandria, Va., is a national enrichment club and competition program that promotes middle school mathematics achievement. “We’re extremely grateful Prudential has recognized our board members’ invaluable service,” said Lou DiGioia, executive director of MATHCOUNTS. The organization will use the grant for the “Reel Math Challenge,” a new video contest in which teams of students create videos of themselves teaching math. The videos become tools for teachers.
“Through our partnership with BoardSource, Prudential is committed to improving the effectiveness of non-profit leaders and employees,” said Shané Harris, vice president of The Prudential Foundation. “Our goal is to assist in the building of exceptional boards by promoting strong governance and providing a variety of educational and training opportunities to expand board capacity.”
The Prudential Foundation has partnered with BoardSource since 2009 to provide nonprofit board education and resources to its employees and nonprofit partners. With Prudential’s continued support, BoardSource designed the national awards program and selected the winners. The award ceremony was held at the BoardSource Leadership Forum, the only national conference focused on the impact of nonprofit boards and the unique role they play in advancing the public good.
BoardSource is dedicated to building exceptional nonprofit boards and inspiring board service. BoardSource strives to support and promote excellence in board service, is the premier source of cutting-edge thinking and resources related to nonprofit boards, and engages and develops the next generation of board leaders.
The Prudential Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation supported by The Prudential Insurance Company of America, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU). Its grant-making strategy is focused on education, economic development and arts and civic infrastructure; and it supports community engagement efforts of Prudential employees through Matching Gifts and other programs that recognize their volunteer work.
Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE: PRU), a financial services leader with approximately $901 billion of assets under management as of December 31, 2011, has operations in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. Prudential’s diverse and talented employees are committed to helping individual and institutional customers grow and protect their wealth through a variety of products and services, including life insurance, annuities, retirement-related services, mutual funds and investment management. In the U.S., Prudential’s iconic Rock symbol has stood for strength, stability, expertise and innovation for more than a century. For more information, please visit http://www.news.prudential.com/.